What do we learn from CMB observations

Abstract

We give an account, at non-expert and quantitative level, of physics behind the CMB temperature anisotropy and polarization and their peculiar features. We discuss, in particular, how cosmological parameters are determined from the CMB measurements and their combinations with other observations. We emphasize that CMB is the major source of information on the primordial density perturbations and, possibly, gravitational waves, and discuss the implication for our understanding of the extremely early Universe.

This is review given at 38 Itep Winter School, Moscow, 13-20 February 2010; to be pulished in Physics of Atomic Nuclei; v2 minor changes to match published version

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• Five-Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Observations: Cosmological Interpretation
• Five-Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Observations: Data Processing, Sky Maps, and Basic Results
• Measuring the Baryon Acoustic Oscillation scale using the SDSS and 2dFGRS
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• Improved measurements of the temperature and polarization of the CMB from QUaD
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Cited by in corpus (6)

• Remarks on mechanical approach to observable Universe
• Cosmological acceleration
• Scalar perturbations in cosmological models with dark energy - dark matter interaction
• Accelerated expansion of the universe and chasing photons from the CMB to study the late time integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect over different redshift ranges
• Zero average values of cosmological perturbations as an indispensable condition for the theory and simulations
• Theoretical Estimates of Integrated Sachs-Wolfe Effect Detection through EMU-ASKAP Survey with Confusion, Position Uncertainty, Shot Noise and SNR analysis